Articles and letters may be edited for the purposes of clarity and space. They are published in good faith with a view to enlightening all the stakeholders. However, the contents of these writings may not necessarily match the views of the newspaper.
Remembering our departed
All Souls’ Day, which is celebrated by the Catholic Church on November 2 every year, is a Christian festival that honours all Christian souls who have died. Many people visit the cemetery and decorate the graves of their loved ones. Special Masses are held in cemeteries and in churches on that day. Catholics on this day, remember and pray for the souls of people who have died and who are in Purgatory – the place in which those who have died atone for their sins before being granted the vision of God in heaven.
According to Catholic belief, the soul of a person who dies can go to any one of these places. The first is heaven, where a person who dies in a state of perfect grace and communion with God goes. The second is hell, where those who die in a state of mortal sin are naturally condemned by their choice. The intermediate option is purgatory, which is thought to be where most people, free of mortal sin, but still in a state of lesser (venial) sin, must go. Purgatory is necessary so that souls can be cleansed and perfected before they enter into heaven.
There is a scriptural basis for this belief. The primary reference is in 2 Maccabees, 12:26 and 12:32. “Turning to supplication, they prayed that the sinful deed might be fully blotted out. Thus made atonement for the dead that they might be free from sin “ Through the power of prayer, the people on earth can help these souls gain heavenly vision they seek. At each one’s home, a special rosary is recited to remember and pray for the souls of their family members, friends, etc.
JUBEL D’CRUZ
Mumbai, India
Bell the cat
“WHO IS going to bell the cat?” I think this has been a famous idiom in English. Fondly enough, my late father had often quoted these famous lines in our family circle in a jovial way. Such famous and intense lines in any language be it in my mother tongue of Tamil or in English could kindle the people and society at large.
Educated in various parts of India, the great Tamil poet had lifted the people and society out of economic and social crises through his powerful writing pieces in Tamil and English in the early 20th century. Coming to the point, idiom discussed above is related to the world climate crisis that has been discussed at length during the course of US election campaign now.
Climate change issue has come to the fore again at last. I, being a gardener and having been supporting/backing green/farming activities in my native places like Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu, [in my strong opinion] handling the climate crisis is like watering plants/crops. So, the whole process is a mixed bag requiring attention from each part of world – looking like ripple effects that have to be handled cautiously at every stage.
We have enough and more of climate change examples on the record and on paper. Apart from such tidbits on the table, the international community should gear up to resolve climate crises, weather vagaries, wildfires in the Amazon rainforest, California, Australia through strong action plans, achievable objectives and greater, bigger green activities, all aimed at saving Mother Nature/Earth.
P SENTHIL S DURAI
Mumbai
PDM:
A lighter note
It is wise fact that PDM is a great move towards ensuring superiority of democracy in Pakistan in its true sense. On the other hand, the coterie of morons steering this movement is not converged for the constitutional supremacy and the welfare of the downtrodden general masses in Pakistan & nor they spoke on rising poverty, mounting unemployment & spiking prices; rather what they are gathered more for are their personal vested interests to relieve from corruption cases against them and to come to power replacing Khan by manipulating societal sentiments through their demagogic slogans only.
How ridiculous it is that, those who have been the selected rulers of Pakistan, have joined hands remonstrating against the election of IK calling him the selected. Alas, in this fight of elephants, only the poor are suffering. It is obvious perception of mine that for guaranteed social, economic and democratic development of Pakistan, all existing civilian institutions must be strengthened and it’s possible only if undue military intervention in administrative affairs is curtailed and diminished completely.
Moreover, bureaucracy must be depoliticised along with granting of the right of freedom of expression to the general masses. Going on, election must be transparent without any element of rigging into it leading to a fair election of PM. However, one thing, which deserves appreciation is PDM has awakened the Government from its deep slumber and has reminded IK to implement what he vowed during his election campaigns and play his role for which he was chosen by populace. Undoubtedly, a stronger, productive and unbiased Opposition is the beauty of democracy which keeps a proper check on the Executive.
ABDUL SAMAD MAITLO
Khairpur Mirs, Sindh
PPP and governance
in Sindh
Pakistan Peoples’ Party government has completed almost 13 years but, unfortunately, the people of Sindh are suffering from poverty, unemployment, favouritism etc. Moreover, the youth of Sindh are ending their life and the Sindh government is unaware of this. Suicide statistics in Sindh have set alarm bells ringing, as over 1,300 people committed suicide there in the last five years. Likewise, rural Sindh’s conditions are highly embedded in incessant bad governance, institutional decay and concentration shift from agriculture to the service sector.
Furthermore, red-tapism is common in the government institutions and government employee is giving bribe for transfer of posting. Likewise, infamous OPS (own pay scale) still stays in many government departments of the Sindh province despite the clear-cut orders of the Supreme Court of Pakistan that junior officers should not be posted to senior slots in the grab of own pay scale, however, the OPS prevails in many departments as it suits the political interests of rulers. However, Chairman PPP Bilawal Zardari is criticizing the Federal government. Lastly, I suggest Bilawal Zardari that you should focus on real problems of Sindh instead of criticizing others.
SARFRAZ SOOMRO
Sukkur
